Where in France for SEN kids

[Branleuse]

Dp and I are desperately wanting to move to France. He is french, Im not fluent, but I can get by and am confident id be fine after a year or so.
We have talked about it for the whole 10 years weve been together, but it hasnt happened because of my eldest ds who has ASD and is statemented, and I know of Frances reputation for SEN, and also importantly, he still needed to see his dad, my ex.
Eldest is 14 now and settled in a SEN school, and dp and I have 2 dc together (8 & 7) ds2 also has ASD and is statemented, but in mainstream.
I know the British system is much more progressive for SEN, but omg, I want to move so much. Im just treading water here.
Children are not bilingual although do understand basic french when spoken.

Its all going round and round in my head how we could manage this.

I know the french arent particularly open to home educating, although some areas are better than others. Could this be an option. Would it be an insurmountable amount of hoops to jump through?

Are there some areas or schools that have a reputation for being understanding towards SEN?

We dont want to live in a big town or city, nor could we really afford to. We would prefer semi-rural (not completely) or village. My dream is the pyrenees, but im not actually set on it. I definitely dont want to live in the Nord, even though we have family there. I need better scenery than that, and preferably better weather.

I know people turn noses up at dordogneshire, but would the amount of expats mean it might be easier for the children?? It wouldnt be my first choice of area, but im open minded. Would be a compromise I could make if it was easier for the children to settle.

We are kind of hippyish people so would want somewhere not too uptight and conservative (hence not Nord ;) ) We loved this diversity aspect of the pyrenees (aude/ariege) We rather like Bretagne too.

Does anyone else live in france with SEN kids, and how have they found it, or should i give up the idea?

I'm French but living and teaching in the Uk. Honestly, i really wouldn't unless it was an international school. The French school system is not good to SEN, especially ASD. If you want to home school them it will be am administrative battle. I prefer the French educational system better for some aspects, but when it comes to SEN we are lagging way behind the UK.

thankyou for your advice

i think maybe staying registered as living in the uk but as homeschoolers in the future may be the way to go, then spend as much time travelling wherever we like

"its not that i dont want international schools, i just thought they were mostly in cities and expensive"

Yes, they are expensive, but they are not just in cities. There are three international schools within a 40 min drive of where I am in the South, and the largest "city" around here has a population of 340,000.

Following along and fascinated by the replies...your last post sounds like a good plan Branleuse....hmm....got me thinking now....I totally get it by the way, DH and I have a very similar vision for ourselves as yours sounds...and with some similar considerations...good luck!

yongnian,

I live in very rural Brittany, so rural my nearest neighbors are a field of cows. My DS(12) has ASD, dyslexia and dyspraxia. He has lots and lots of help, in fact sometimes too much, it's starting to get on his nerves. Most importantly he gas 12 hours a week support with his assistant. He needs this and we have an annual meeting every year to make sure he gets the funding to Keep her. He also has two educational psychologists visit him every week at school to make sure he is coping with the transition into college. He goes to some kind of group session every week with some other psychs and he has an appointment with an orthophoniste every week. He did redouble a year while waiting for a diagnosis and help. But now he is absolutely thriving and has one of the highest moyennes in the class. I'm sure he wouldn't get that level of help in the UK.

But I had to fight it took nearly three years to get the help he needs. I've had to listen to psychologists tell me as his mother it was my fault and I've had to bite my tongue to stop me telling them where to stick their opinions. I also think without my primary school head mistress we wouldn't have got any of the help he needed. She really fought our corner. It's just a little village primary school.

But I work in a lycée and the number of children that I have in my classes that are so obviously on the spectrum, are struggling with the school environment and have no help really shocks me. I think my son has been extremely lucky to have so much help.

I'm not going to put too much info on here for fear of outing myself (will email you separately ) but there ARE some good things in France. The level of financial support (e.g. AEEH) is much higher than in the UK, I think. I am able to work, where most of my friends in similar circs in the UK I are not. Things like speech therapy are considered normal and covered by social security (I have friends in the UK I who have fought for one visit a term: we go once a week, and used to go twice). There can be a problem of attitude, and you only get things if you fight for them, and many many kids struggle with no help at all, but we have been some of the lucky ones.

Think really hard before you do this.

I live in rural France near(ish) Toulouse. I was just talking with a couple, one of whom teaches at the International school, the other teaches a private group of children with SEN. I can put you in touch with them if you want. My impression is that DCs who are mainstreamed in the UK may struggle greatly in the sink-or-swim, rigid French system so you would absolutely need to be near a private, international school that was willing to offer a more flexible approach.

Have you watched the documentary Le Mur? It was a bunch of psychoanalysts, some from the major Parisian paediatric centrex, saying how autism is caused by a mother who is too cold or too caring. The French attitude to autism is not just outdated, it is scary. The documentary has been withdrawn by order of the courts, but you may find discussions of it online.

You might find this documentary interesting: www.education.gouv.fr/cid77609/-video-la-cour-de-babel-film-documentaire-sur-une-classe-d-accueil.html. It's about kids arriving in school in Paris with little or no French. One of them is.Brit with ASD.

Le Mur made me cry, it was at the time I was getting diagnosis for my son, and according to the psychologists it was all my fault. I think I'm permanently scarred by the whole ordeal and I have a deep distrust of French psychologists.

We've got a couple of good ones now with one organisation, but there are still others we have dealings with who I dislike.

thanka. I couldn't follow le mur. Cant seem to find a subtitled copy. Even french subtitles is fine, just not none

Been talking with dp and He doesn't think he cpuld do another 10 years either. The most likely plan is to stay registered in britain but as homeschoolers but travel around and return occasionally.

Branleuse, I think I mentioned Blackhen Education before. They operate from France and the founder Sue Aitken seems very helpful and knowledgeable. She also has a FB page and many of the members seem to have DCs with SEN. Why don't you contact her for advice?

ive bookmarked that, thankyou

I was also looking at the Parents in France FB group last night and there are a few parents with autism/aspergers DC, many seem to be in the Toulouse area. One was talking about setting up FB group. Might be worth looking at?

???
First rule about french club is we dont talk about french club?

None of it is sensitive information is it?